Maria Zankey

Less than two decades ago, Erin Cross was a graduate student in a doctoral program at Penn State University. Throughout her studies, she found it wasn’t the actual program she was most drawn to—it was the student life activities within the LGBT community on campus that she found most fulfilling.

A group of students at Penn Alexander are hacking parents’ classic warning that video games turn brains to mush.

SHOOTING STARS: Skimming sophomore women’s basketball center Sydney Stipanovich’s resume, it’s difficult to believe she’s only been at Penn for less than two years.

Every day, Penn employees purchase new homes, navigate landlord and tenant issues, adopt children, and act as caretakers. Life can get complicated, but the University offers services that can help ease the burden of balancing work and home.

Sue Sproat and Chris Hyson come from different professional backgrounds: Sproat is a human resources and benefits veteran, and Hyson, a wellness programming specialist. Still, they’ve each found themselves tucked into the same niche at Penn—providing resources to faculty and staff with the ultimate goal of benefitting their health.

Charles Kane’s world is filtered through a geometric lens. He calculates and stores information in a mental grid, sorting each bit away in pictures that blend together as beautifully as they do harmoniously.

While many people are packing their bags and heading out of town to celebrate the holiday season with family and friends, they’re also leaving their homes and personal belongings behind unattended—creating prime opportunities for potential thieves.

The first clinical observation of AIDS occurred in 1981, a time when very little about the disease was understood by medical professionals, and public misconceptions were rampant. After more than three decades of research, medical advances, and general public awareness, understanding of the disease has drastically changed since the early days of HIV/AIDS.

As temperatures get colder and bellies get a little grumblier, a new Penn food truck is crafting hot and fresh meals-to-go that aim to satisfy even the most persistent cravings.

What exactly does the term “public health” encompass? Sara Solomon, deputy director of the Center for Public Health Initiatives, has perfected her spiel. “It can be confusing, and it’s something I have to explain to my mom often,” Solomon says with a laugh.